Rotary snowplow attachment for powered vehicles



Jan. 24, W56 E, F. RASMUSSEN 2,731,749

ROTARY SNOWPLOW ATTACHMENT FOR POWERED VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1953 .fl M mSMdN V Q mmfwf 54 a z wwg g w M 5 5 3 w x Q Jan. 24, 1956 E. F. RASMUSSEN 2,731,740

ROTARY SNOWPLOW ATTACHMENT FOR POWERED VEHICLES Filed June 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M m F? O 1) W 7 b 17 Z5// \j INVENTOR. Er W72 FPQSMflSSG ATTORNEY United States Patent C) ROTARY SNOWPLOW ATTACHMENT FOR POWERED VEHICLES Ervin F. Rasmussen, Spaugle, Wash. Application June 23, 1953, Serial No. 363,535 1 Claim. (Cl. 37-43) This invention is a rotary snowplow attachment adapted to be secured to the forward end of a powered vehicle, and having rotary discs contained within annular cavities having tangentially arranged vertical discharge tubes, said discs being provided with radially offset blades adapted to receive snow through the discharge tube.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a power-driven snow breaking device secured to the frame in advance of the rotary discs for pulverizing the snow to be introduced into the annular cavities.

Yet another object of the invention lies in the provision of the rotory snow plow attachment for powered vehicles and having front and rear walls defining a central opening in which rotary discs are journaled, the discs being confined in cavities defined by a retaining wall secured at its side edges to the front and rear walls.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve rotary snow plows.

These and other objects of the invention become apparent during the course of the following description.

In and accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved rotary snow plow attachment for powered vehicles;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken longitudinally through the snow plow, as at line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation showing the rear side of the rotary snow plow and having the rear wall broken away for convenience of illustration; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the rotary discs comprising a part of this invention.

Referring now more particularly to the invention I have shown the improved rotary snow plow attachment as comprising a frame, indicated in general by the numeral 10, and having a front wall 11, which extends the full width and height of the frame. The front wall is provided at its lower edge with a ground engaging forwardly arcuate scoop 12 which extends horizontally thereon and is adapted to pick up snow from the surface of the ground and direct it into a pair of horizontally disposed openings 13, formed in the front wall. The frame is provided with a rear wall 14, which is shaped to cover only as much of the device as is required to confine and direct the movement of snow discharged from rotating discs 15, disposed within the opening defined by the front and rear walls. A relatively narrow retaining wall 16 is secured at its side edges to the inner faces of the front and rear wall 11 and 14, and is shaped to define a pair of horizontally disposed annular cavities intermediate the walls 11 and 14.

The cavities are coaxial with the annular openings 13, in which the discs are disposed. The cavities communicate with tangentially arranged upwardly open discharge tubes 18 which are separated one from the other by means of a dividing panel 19. A nozzle 20 is provided with arcuate bafiie plates 21, and is pivotly secured by means of bolt 22, to the upper end of the discharge tubes 18,

2 whereby the snow discharged through the tube is directed to either side of the device.

Inspection of Figures 2 and 4 will reveal that the discs 15 are provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially offset blades 23, which are welded or otherwise secured to the face of the discs. Each disc is provided at its axis with a shaft 24 which is journaled on the bracing structure 25 of the frame 10.

Each shaft 24 carries a chain sprocket wheel 24 and a chain 26 is trained about these sprocket wheels in such a manner as to cause the discs to rotate toward each other at its lower edge and at its inner side edge upwardly toward the respective discharge tube 18. The chain 26 is also provided with a number of idler sprockets 27, 28 and 29 which facilitate training the chain about a proper path wherein a sufiicient amount of the chain is in contact with each powered sprocket.

The power to rotate the discs is derived from any suitable power take off on the vehicle (not shown) carrying the snow plow attachment. Through suitable transmissions, the power is applied to shaft 30, journaled at its forward end at 31 on the frame 10, and having a sprocket 32 about which a drive chain 33 is trained. A second sprocket 34 is carried by one of the shaft 24 and the power from the vehicle is thus applied to the one shaft 24 and through the chain 26 is transmitted to the other disc 15.

Shafts 24 extend through the discs 15 and are provided with a number of radially disposed circumferentially spaced gussets 35, which are welded or otherwise secured to the forwardly extending end portion of each shaft 24 and the face of the respective disc 15. This provides a rigid union between shafts 24 and discs 15.

Under certain conditions to eliminate the machine from bogging down, it is necessary that a means of breaking the snow prior to its being admitted into the disc cavities be provided. versely extending horizontal shaft 36 in advance of the front wall of the frame 11 and this shaft is suitably journaled in a bearing housing 38, supported by angular braces 39, extending downwardly at an angle from the front wall 11 of the frame 10. Adjacent each end of shaft 36 I provide a spider 40, which is secured to the shaft and rotatable therewith. Y-shaped arms 41 are secured as parts of the spiders and terminate outwardly in transversely extending horizontal bars 42. In the drawings shown there are three of these breaking bars 42 in advance of each circular opening 13, however the numher, more than one, is of little importance.

Referring again to Figure 3 I have shown a sprocket wheel 43 as being driven by chain 26 and being mounted upon forwardly extending shaft 44 which protrudes from the forward face of the frame 10 and is journaled in a sleeve 45 carried by the housing 38 and at its rear end journaled to the frame in bearing 44. The forward end of the shaft 44 is provided with a beveled gear 46 and this meshes with a second beveled gear 47 carried by and secured on the transversely extending shaft 36 thus imparting rotary motion to the shaft 36 from the chain 26.

When viewed as shown in Figure 2, the breaking bars 42 rotate about the axis 36 counter-clockwise, thus assisting to draw the snow into the circular openings 13, where the rotating discs and their blades 23 may force the snow upwardly through discharge tubes 18 discharging it at an angle through the adjustable nozzle 20.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A rotary snow plow attachment for powered vehicles comprising a frame having a ground engaging forwardly arcuate scoop disposed horizontally along its lower edge; said frame having front and rear spaced walls defining a central opening; a retaining wall secured at its side edges to the front and rear walls and defining a pair of horizontally disposed annular cavities therebetween having an upwardly open vertical discharge tube; a dividing panel extending vertically midway the marginal edges of said tube and defining an individual tube for each. cavity; a

rotatable nozzle having bafiles adapted to dischargesnow' at an angle relative to said tube rotatably. communicating with the open upper end thereof; said front wall of the frame being provided with circular openings of a diameter substantially the same as said annular cavities; vertically disposed discs journaled on said frame and contained one in each said cavity; power means for rotating said discs with their inner edges moving toward said discharge tube; circumferentially spaced radially ofisct blades secured to the forward faces of said discs in planes at right angles to the plane of the discs; 2. forwardly extending shaft on the frame driven by said first named means; a transverse shaft disposed in advance of the front wall operably connected References Cited in the file of thislpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,574,230 Brown -Feb. 24, 1926 1,707,908 Green et a1 Apr. 2, 1929 1,749,481 Jensen Mar. 4, 1930 1,870,591 Saxon Aug. 9, 1932 2,024,551 Thornhill Dec. 17, 1935 

